The present invention relates to a dental accessory for cleaning and polishing of teeth, particularly a dental accessory commonly called a “prophylaxis cup” or “prophy cup,” which is normally mounted for use on either a disposable prophy angle or an autoclavable prophy angle. The prophylaxis angle is configured to be drivingly coupled to a powered dental handpiece.
Conventional disposable or autoclavable prophy angles used by dental professionals to polish teeth include a generally tubular housing and a cup attached to one end of the housing that holds a cleaning paste. The cup, when filled with paste, is pressed against the tooth surfaces to clean and polish teeth.
Conventional prophy cups are generally adequate for polishing teeth, but are not very effective at reaching under the gumline where it is important to clean. Further, prophy pastes can be abrasive and uncomfortable to the user. Prophy pastes also require dental professionals to continuously dip the prophy cup into a cup of paste while performing a cleaning. Thus, there is a need for an improved prophy cup for disposable and autoclavable prophy angles that can more effectively reach under the gumline and avoid the need to use prophy paste.